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Anurognathus
Anurognathus was a tiny pterosaur that had a short head, pin-like teeth for catching insects, and although it traditionally is ascribed to the long tailed pterosaur group, its tail was comparatively short, allowing it more manoeuvrability for hunting in woodland. With a wingspan of 50 cm (20 inches) and a 9 cm long body (skull included), it could not have weighed more than a few grams. Facts Anurognathus is a genus of small pterosaur that lived approximately 155-140 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period. It had a short head with pin-like teeth for catching insects and although it traditionally is ascribed to the long tailed pterosaur group (Rhamphorhynchoidea), its tail was comparatively short, allowing it more maneuverability for hunting. The reduced tail of Anurognathus was similar to the pygostyle of modern birds. Its more typical rhamphorhynchoid characters include its elongated fifth toe and short neck. With a wingspan of 50 cm (20 inches) and a 9 cm long body (skull included), it probably weighed no more than a few grams. Only two skeletons have been found, in the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria. Anurognathus was first named and described by L. Döderlein in 1923. The genus name Anurognathus is derived from the Greek αν/an- ("without"), оυρα/oura ("tail"), and γναθος/gnathos ("jaw") in reference to its unusually small tail relative to other rhamphorhynchoids pterosaurs. The species name A. ammoni honours the Bavarian geologist Ludwig von Ammon. Anurognathus was a member of the family or clade Anurognathidae. In Primeval A flock came through an anomaly and attacked a golfer off screen, stripping the flesh from his bones in minutes. They were then seen roosting in a tree by Connor and Abby before being lured away by the scent of blood from a hospital-type blood drip. Later they killed a doctor then surrounded the house where Nick Cutter was treating Claudia Brown for her concussion and attacked like locusts. The pair fled from room to room as the Anurognathus broke through the windows and skylights. Eventually Claudia barricaded herself in a safe room when Cutter ran to the ambulance. In the mean time, his wife, Helen Cutter, who appeared from nowhere, helped Claudia to escape while she made a gas explosion with the ovens and killed all the anurognathuses. (Episode 1.5) Trivia *The creatures seen here are different from the creatures seen in the fossil record and are living in a different era. They were presumably re-imagined by the producers in order to make them scarier. *Anurognathus is Greek for "Without tail jaw" indicating that they had jaws and a small tail. *This is the second creature to come into the present in a swarm. *This creature came through the anomaly in greater numbers than any other species. Errors *Anurognathus did not come from the Late Cretaceous like Pteranodon, but came from the Jurassic. **''This was due to the reinvention of the creatures for the show, as the official website describes them as Cretaceous creatures.'' **''Also, the creatures could have come through two anomalies or the Spaghetti Junction of anomalies.'' *Anurognathus ate insects, but when in Primeval it was a flesh eating monster. *The Primeval websites and merchandise misspelled Anurognathus as "Agnuronathus". Category:Pterosaurs Category:Cretaceous creatures Category:Series 1 Creatures Category:Creatures Category:Jurassic creatures Category:Creatures that cause deaths